


We Two, Alone Together

by Graceless_Grace



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fever, M/M, Sickfic, keith is there for him like a good boyfriend, lance gets feverish and sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-04
Updated: 2017-05-04
Packaged: 2018-10-27 21:35:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10817208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Graceless_Grace/pseuds/Graceless_Grace
Summary: Keith and Lance, the swordsman and the sharpshooter, are sent down to some supposedly abandoned planet per Allura’s request. Lance falls ill at a rather alarming pace, and Keith is clueless. As the fever rises, someone other than Lance begins to doubt their worth in the team.





	We Two, Alone Together

The first thing Lance noticed what how fucking hot it was. He had been feeling a little warm all day, but he brushed it off as nothing and continued with his day; clean the healing pods with Coran, finally braid Allura’s hair, suit up for some weird mission with Keith. 

‘Some thank you for that amazing braid I did for her. Sending me to Hell the Planet with the mullet.’ Lance thought, somewhat bitterly. Truthfully, as his day progressed he had begun feeling worse and worse. Nothing drastic, just a sharp pinching pain behind his eyes, and the occasional swell of heat washing over him. Oh how he longed for those 15 second spasms now. Anything would be better than this god forsaken heat. 

“Aren’t you hot, Keith?” he asked, noticing that Keith was sweating far less than he was. 

“Uh, no. It’s barely warm here, Lance.”

What? Lance’s motherly instincts began to flare up at this. He was sure it was hotter than hot on this planet, which meant Keith was lying to him. And the lack of sweat… that could be dangerous. Back home he remembered an all-too vivid memory of Hunk fainting from heat stroke on the sandy shore of the local beach. Lance himself had had heat exhaustion before, which he was beginning to wonder if he had now. Whatever. Mullet was more important.

“Here.” Lance unclipped his canteen and handed it to Keith. “Drink.”

The red paladin looked at him with some uncertainty. He looked down at his own canteen, which was still pretty full, but shrugged and took a drink once he realized that Lance wasn’t baking down. 

God he was weird. Weird and kinda cute, but mostly weird. And sweaty. 

“You’re sweating a lot.” Keith waited until they had been walking for a while, when the stars that illuminated this planet began to dim and flicker gently against a lavender sky. “It got colder, why are you still so sweaty? Do you need to stop?” He wasn’t worried. Not about Lance. Well, not yet. 

“I… I’m fine.” Lance mumbled, unscrewing his canteen again, forcing it on Keith for the umpteenth time. He kept making sure Keith drank periodically every 7 minutes or so. He was counting in his head to keep track of time as he didn’t have a watch, and didn’t have time to be distracted with words. He had to keep Keith alive long enough for them to get back to the ship. They had finished their patrol, and just needed to report to Allura that yes, the planet really is deserted before they could return to their lions and get the hell out of this burning planet. 

“You sure?” Keith tried again, stopping. 

“M’suure,” Lance slurred, sounding rather drunk and looking rather dead on his feet.

“Lance, stop walking. What’s going on with you? You look like a ghost and you haven’t stopped sweating. I don’t think I’ve seen you drink water this whole trip.”

Lance stumbled around a few pebbles before coming to a stop. He swayed dangerously, but was determined to stay upright. “I gotta… you’re exhausted… can’t be a burden…” 

His eyes fluttered furiously, the black of his eyelashes clashing with the crimson tint of his… skin? 

“You’re flushed.” Keith pointed out. “Lance? Dude, I don’t… tell me how to help you. Do you need me to call Shiro?” he took a step closer, “Lance? Lance!” 

Keith managed to catch the blue paladin just as he collapsed, and let out a string of curses that would probably make Shiro roll in his grave years from now, when this was all over. Why couldn’t it be over now?

“Oh my god you’re burning up. Fuck. Lance? Buddy please tell me how to help you?” 

Without another thought he contacted the castle, demanding Shiro. 

“He’s on fire, Shiro, he’s burning. I don’t… I can’t do this, I can’t deal with this, help me I don’t know what to do.” He gushed, tears dripping down his cheeks. Horrible, burning, depressive tears that threatened to spill over and break him. Stupid little drops of salt water that somehow held so much power. Just like Lance. Stupid and blue and small, but still so perfect and revealing of what Keith was really feeling.

“Keith!” Shiro snapped, pulling him back to reality. “Pidge is on her way to collect you and your lion. You need to calm down and assess the situation. You’re a defender of the universe, start acting like one. For his sake.”

Keith took a deep breath. “Okay. Okay, what do I do?” 

“Get his helmet off, feel for a fever. Forehead, cheeks, the side of his neck. Use the back of your hand.” Keith did as he was told, and recalled a time when his father had pressed their foreheads together when Keith was very small and very feverish. 

He felt happy remembering that, back when his life was at least somewhat normal. He took a deep breath. This was his normal now. His wonderful life with work and training and happy times and love. “Okay. He’s toasty.” 

He scooped Lance up in his arms, cradling him close. Another bonding moment only he would remember. He recalled the times Lance had confided in him, told him how much of a burden he felt to the team. The weakest link in their chain. 

For the first time since becoming a paladin of Voltron, Keith felt the same way. The feeling didn’t go away until Lance was well again, two days later, asleep in Keith’s lap.

**Author's Note:**

> Request from my sickfic side blog (tumblr), graceless-fever  
> I take requests! Hit me up either on my blog or here. ♡  
> Please don't forget to comment if you liked it!


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